Headlights
by ProfaneWings
Summary: AU: Barry Allen has been tormented continuously throughout his High School experience because he's gay. The final straw is when his assailants pin him down and rape him. This causes Joe and Iris to send Barry to Starling for a fresh start. He meets the Queen family and their dashing, protective, caring son, Oliver, whom Barry develops feelings for.
1. Innocence Lost

Barry PoV

The humming of cars zooming past the cab was making me feel slightly drowsy, but the bright headlights were keeping me awake. I'd been on the road for nearly two hours straight. I was moving to Starling City- it really wasn't my choice. Joe and Iris insisted that I left Central City after the biggest fallout at my previous high school, Central City High. I was quite the popular kid, well… not in a good way. I was picked on, beaten, mocked… you name it, it probably happened. I would always come home with bruises, scrapes, cuts, and sometimes even a broken bone or two. It barely happened much last year, but that was because Eddie and Iris were still Seniors that year and they were very popular and made sure nobody picked on me. However, now that they were gone, I got all two years worth of missed beatings and insults flown in from every direction, oh and not to mention all the money we forked over for hospital bills.

Joe and Iris were always worried about me, but I kept telling them I was fine, I just had one more year to suffer through until I was done with it. They never saw eye-to-eye with me on that, and the last straw was what had happened last week. I didn't get beaten or mocked- no. This is what made Joe and Iris forcefully make me move to a completely different city on my own. I still have nightmares about what happened, hell, the CCPD didn't even arrest the assholes that did it. I was raped in the bathroom of that shithole of a school, no, not just by one guy either. I had excused myself from class, as one of my contacts fell out, once I put it back in I turned around only to be confronted by four of the biggest assholes in the school. Fear instantly took over as they creeped towards me. The next thing I knew they'd pinned me down and gagged me. After that day, I came home in tears, went straight up to my room and locked the door. I had been so depressed over the past few months because of the bullying and the hate, and this made me want to end it all. I lost my virginity in the worst way possible, and I would have to live with that. For the rest of my life, unless I did something about it, that is.

I did what most overly depressed teenagers would do in my shoes. I attempted suicide, I had a bunch of pills. Overdosing would definitely be the most painless way for me to go, and I didn't want to feel anymore pain. I suffered months and months of pain, I couldn't take anymore. I took the entire bottle and laid down in bed, letting the darkness consume me. I thought I had done it, I thought I got out of the worst life possible. Having your father framed for your mother's murder, being forced to hide your sexuality but failing horribly, being beaten and mocked everyday of your pathetic life, and then getting raped.

It was only temporary, unfortunately for me. I woke up in a hospital room, with Joe, Iris, and Eddie standing at my bedside. I flitted my eyes open and groaned, Iris and Joe quickly were at my side and Joe spoke to me. "Barry?! What the hell were you doing? You nearly overdosed on pills and you had us worried!" I just looked down sadness enveloping my pale face. Iris gently sat her hand on my shoulder and softly spoke, "Barry… Whatever is happening, you need to tell us." I started to sob at that and I crashed my head into Iris' shoulder muttering inaudibly to her about what happened. "Barry, Barry, Barry, calm down, we can't hear you when you're crying like this." she put her hand on the back of my head and just embraced me until my sobbing began to quiet down. "Now… can you tell us what's wrong…?" I nodded and sniffled, God this was already so hard. "Y-You know h-how I've been… been getting beat up…?" they all nod. "W-Well… today…" I began to feel tears threaten to fall like a waterfall again. Iris spoke again with her soft, loving voice, "Barry, shh… It's okay, just tell us what it is." I snapped "No! It's not okay! They raped me!" I saw shock on all their faces and I began to sob uncontrollably. I was pathetic. Just something anybody could use a their free will. I was a toy, not a person.

That's what led me to where I am now. All my belongings packed up and in the back of a cab, headed towards my new home. Joe called the CCPD and tried to press charges on the guys who had raped me. However, the fucking dickheads just said "We need evidence before we can do that." Joe had retired from the force about a year ago, and he hates the way the place changed so suddenly. Instead of jumping to a person's aid, they just merely shrug it off and do it when they feel like they need to do it. Essentially, Central City was failing in general. This made Joe snap and he started yelling at the man on the phone. I walked up to Joe and just told him to stop, I'd go back to the shithole of a school with those assholes if I had to. That was when Iris and Eddie suggested Joe move me to Starling City. It would be a fresh start for me, and Eddie's parents had a nice little house up there that I could live in. Joe was hesitant, but he eventually decided to send me off, he'd rather have me live the life I deserved than be pushed to my extreme thoughts of suicide again, or even worse actually successfully killing myself.

I left nearly a week after the incident. Iris, Eddie, and Joe helped me pack up and they all said their farewells. Joe said he didn't have many bills to pay, and Iris and Eddie had actually moved in with Joe, so they said they would help me pay for any expenses. Iris said she got me a job at a coffee shop in Starling City as a barista and I could use the money I earned from that job to buy my groceries. I cried as I hugged them and said my goodbyes, not in sadness, but in appreciation. I was so grateful to have these three amazing, caring people in my life. I waved at them as I hopped in the cab and left Central City behind in my past. Now, I was heading towards my future in Starling City


	2. New Kid on the Block

**Author Notes: Okay, so first contact with me! Yay! :) So this is the chapter where Barry gets settled in his apartment in Starling. There won't be much Oliver for a while, the rough draft I had of this story developed way too fast, so I figured taking it slow would be a good idea! I'll be trying to squeeze in a chapter every now and then. I shouldn't take longer than a week for a new chapter, so stay tuned. Also, the title of the story is from "Headlights" by Eminem, ft. Nate Ruess. It's a great song about regrets and realizations, so if you haven't checked it out please do so! Now to the story!**

Barry PoV

It was pretty late by the time I arrived in Starling City. I had dozed off for a couple of hours, which was surprising since I've been plagued by nightmares of the incident and I had countless sleepless nights. Starling City was big, like Central City, but it seemed... gloomier. It felt like the city had been shrouded in a thick, dark smog. Great, I don't think this will help my ever growing depression at all. Did this city have to feel so broken and sad? God, I'd rather be at Coast City, that place is always sunny, plus it's by a nice warm beach. Oh well, Starling would have to do for now. I'll just try and avoid any conflicts and interactions, that'd probably be best for me. If push comes to shove, then I'll just face the music. It's not like someone could break me any further, you know?

The cab driver stopped in front of my apartment with a small screech coming from the tires of the old cab. I'd thanked him for his service, paid him, grabbed my belongings and headed to my apartment. I checked the text Iris sent me earlier telling me which apartment it was, after taking a quick glance I made my way to room 19B. I opened the door with the key that Eddie had given me and walked inside to inspect the place. It was... small. Not too small, but smaller than I thought. It had a bedroom, a small kitchen, a living room, and a bathroom, the basics. I actually quite liked it, it wasn't too big or small for me and it felt nice and cozy to boot. I started putting all of my belongings where I wanted them to go, when I finished I took a quick glance at the clock. _1:45 am,_ God damnit. I had school in the morning at 8:30. I quickly finished my bedtime duties and hopped right into my new bed and went to sleep. I was exhausted and I was internally freaking out about my first day of school tomorrow.

I woke up feeling nauseous and irritated, mostly because my alarm was blaring as loud as it possibly could right into my ear. I sleepily looked at the time. 7:30. Great, I was likely going to be late on my first day. Always late, Allen, always late... I don't think I've ever been early before in my life, either barely on time or late. I panicked and quickly got ready for the day, spent about 15 minutes in the shower and 5 minutes getting ready. I grabbed my jacket and put it on, because judging from the weather outside, it was going to be a chilly day. Found my backpack and put one strap over my shoulder and left my apartment. Luckily for me, Starling City High School was only a block away from my apartment, I checked the time and I still had about 30 minutes left to get to school. Me being me, I didn't want to be late so I ran as fast as my feet could take me, which is actually pretty fast considering I took track for a couple of years. I made it just in time. 8:20. I checked my schedule intently, my first class of the day was AP Calculus with Mr. Palmer. Oh—To clarify, I am a Junior in high school, and I just turned 16 not too long ago. So most would say I'm quite young, but honestly? I act much older than my peers. Not to mention I'm smarter than most, in fact, my counselor back at Central City High School actually considered moving me up to a Senior. Right now, if we went by age, I'd barely be a Sophomore right now. Thank God I am not a Sophomore, that group of teenagers are so goddamn immature. The Juniors aren't much better, but the Seniors are actually pretty mature.

I made my way into the classroom and was so relieved to hear that we were free to sit wherever we wanted. So what did I do? Sat away from like... everyone. That is until this blonde girl sat next to me and held out her hand. "Hey! I'm Felicity. Felicity Smoak. I heard you're new here—well I mean obviously you're new here because I've never seen you here before, but you already knew that..." Wow. I had no idea that there was another person on this Earth that could ramble on and on like I can. That's kind of reassuring. I smiled at her, shook her hand, and laughed at her little introduction. "Yeah, I'm new. My name is Bartholomew Allen—but I go by Barry Allen. Well, not _that,_ ughh... just call me Barry." She giggled in response "So what brings you here to Starling?" My face fell into a frown. I wasn't going to tell anyone about my... _incident._ It was none of their business and I wanted to try and forget about it. So naturally, I lied. "I'm a... uhhh... Foreign Exchange Student...?" Good fucking job, Allen, they're all going to think you're from a different country or some shit. She arched an eyebrow at my answer and simply replied, "Well... we weren't notified of any Exchange Students... You're lying aren't you?" I sighed and nodded my head. "Yeah, look—you're nice and all, but my reasons are my reasons and I'd like to keep them to myself—I mean no disrespect, okay?" She gave me a sympathetic look then smiled. "Alright, that's fine. I understand wanting to bury your past so I won't bug you about it." I gave her a soft smile and fiddled with the laces on my jacket. "Thanks, Felicity." She then gave me... an odd look? "So... Barry. Are you uhh... seeing anyone?" I laughed and she looked hurt after that. "N-No I didn't mean it like that it's just, well... you're kinda barking up the wrong tree here." She went wide-eyed and gave me a look of disbelief and then sighed. "Ughh, of course I am. It's always the gay ones that are pretty." I laughed at that and then Mr. Palmer entered the classroom, introduced me to the class and then handed out some assignments. I told her just because I felt like I could trust her, plus I should try and get comfortable with telling people instead of keeping it in and pretending I had a thing for girls. Joe will never stop believing that I love Iris and that makes me sick to my stomach. She's my _foster sister_ for fuck's sake.

After the bell rang Felicity approached me. "So, Barry, what other classes do you have?" We were walking down the hall. This school was weird. It gave students a 10 minute break in between each class, and they even had an hour-long lunch. Daily. Back at CCHS we had 5 minutes to get to classes and a 30 minute lunch. Barely enough time to do anything in that shithole of a school. I looked at my schedule carefully today was an A day so I had Calculus, and now I was headed to Chemistry with Mr. Stein, then I had Advanced Art with Mr. Wilson, and to finish of today I had... P.E. with Mr. Diggle... Tomorrow was a B day and on those days I had Government with Mrs. Queen, Drama with Mr. Merlyn, English with Mr. Steele, and finally Physics with Mr. Wells. I handed her my schedule. "Here take a look at it yourself." She studied my schedule very closely. "Oh. You have Mrs. Queen for Government?" I nodded my head. "So, you're a Senior too?" I laughed. "No. I shouldn't really even be a Junior either, but I am." She looked impressed. "So you skipped a grade in Elementary?" "Yeah, 2nd grade was just stupidly easy for me so they put me in 3rd grade. Even then that was easy, but they didn't want me to skip another grade. I just turned 16 not too long ago, sooo yeah..." She froze. "You mean, I, an 18 year old girl, tried hitting on someone who should be a sophomore?" I laughed and nodded my head in reply. "Yeah, pretty much! But, hey, it's fine. I'm more mature than most guys your age." She nodded her head rapidly. "On that, we can definitely agree on."

Pretty soon after our little chat Felicity gave me her number and invited me to have lunch with her and some of her friends. We had to part ways since she was headed to her Economics class and I was going to Chemistry. That class was going to be the death of me this year, Mr. Stein was very strict, and today we didn't even do any labs just a bunch of assignments and took notes. After my 2nd hour we have lunch, and I was pretty hungry to say the least. I walked out of the classroom and looked at my phone, as Felicity texted me telling me where they usually eat lunch at. The bleachers in the gym, that wasn't too far from my Chemistry class. There was a gas station right by the school so I was going to head there to grab me something to eat and get a coffee, because I was seriously getting tired. On my way out I bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry-" next thing I knew I was pinned to the wall and the guy was yelling at me. My heart started racing as fast as humanly possible and my vision was going blurry. Was I having a panic attack or something? Before I knew it, I was out cold. The last thing I saw was my assailant dropping me and booking it as people started to crowd around me. Did I mention I have claustrophobia? That didn't help one bit. Already at a great start there, Allen!

 **Uh oh! Looks like Barry has just had his first dose of bullying at his new school. He met Felicity though, so that's pretty awesome! Also just to let you know, if you have any questions at all about my works or just me in general, I've got an (Who uses that anymore, right? But, I thought it'd be an easy way for me to answer any questions you guys have!) my name is the same as it is on here. ProfaneWings. :) Also, the next chapter is going to reveal a little about Barry's past, so stay tuned my friends ^.^**


	3. Condescending Queen

**Author Notes: Sooooo! This part of the story is showing Barry's recovery after his Panic Attack that actually was so bad it sent him into Cardiac Arrest. He also has a mysterious savior who rescued him from the incident! Also, if I can I may try to update daily. It just depends on what I have planned for the day. Also, I apologize if there are any mistakes in my writing. I'm kinda new to this so my area of expertise isn't quite... here, but I'll try my best! I am also thinking of whether I want Oliver in a relationship when he meets Barry... Let me know what you think! ;)**

Barry PoV

I woke up and the first thing that hit my eyes was bright, white lights. Son of a bitch, I'm dead aren't I? Yeah. I'm dead... wait nope. Nope. I've got a fucking migraine, that should not be happening while I'm dead. Holy—Jesus Christ! This thing fucking hurts, I'd better get some painkillers, or I'll strangle a bitch. Not too soon after realizing I am actually alive, I discovered I was in a hospital. Then memories of what happened at school came flooding back to me. Ah, right. Panic Attack. Likely came from PTSD, I mean, last I remember was my heart rate increasing rapidly and it was very hard to breathe, then I blacked out. Now I'm here, and... how? I mean... it's not like I'd necessarily made any friends—other than Felicity. So how did I manage to get here?

When I finally got acquainted with my surroundings a nurse walked into my room and jumped at seeing me awake. "Oh! We didn't think you'd be awake for a while!" I looked entirely confused "What happened to me?" I questioned her, I just had to be sure it was PTSD or something. "Well, we looked over your records and past incidents in Central City and we believe you had a Panic Attack, then shortly after went straight into Cardiac Arrest due to PTSD." Ahh—Wait what a fucking heart attack? Jesus Christ, I'm only 16 and I've had a heart attack? Well if I keep this up, I'm dead before I turn twenty. I just nodded my head in understanding and spoke up. "Well, am I good to go home? I feel perfectly fine now." She looked deep in thought and nodded. "I'll get the doctor and see if we can release you tonight. It wasn't too deadly of an incident, mostly because when we got there someone was performing CPR on you. If it weren't for that you could've been in a coma or worse." God, I'd better thank whoever did that, plus I'd assume they were the ones that called the hospital.

They finally let me out a couple hours later and I checked my phone while I was walking home. I had a text from Felicity, she was totally worried about me, I quickly texted her back telling her I was fine. She responded almost instantly saying she felt relieved and she also got my homework from my other 2 classes which wasn't too much. Only missed a small lecture in my Art class and a new project and in P.E. I had to turn in a form about my health. While I was walking home I couldn't help but think about who saved me at the school. I had to figure out who this person was. Shouldn't be too hard, I assisted Joe at the CCPD during his last year and according to them I would make a damn good forensics scientist. Or better known to them as a CSI. So figuring out who saved me shouldn't be too hard if I go to the scene of the incident. Sounds creepy I know, but I doubt whoever saved wants me to know who they are. Not many people do. I went to sleep shortly after reaching my apartment. I ate some food beforehand and took a couple painkillers that the doctor prescribed me with, mostly because he said I'd be having very painful headaches and possibly some pain in my chest. Wonderful.

I woke up early for once and took my time getting ready. Even managed to grab some breakfast before heading out so that was really nice. I decided to call Felicity to let her know I'd be coming to school today, she was determined to get me to have lunch with her and her friends. I dialed her number and it buzzed for a little bit before she picked up.

"Barry?"

"Hey, Felicity, I just wanted to let you know I am going to be at school today."

"Oh, that's great! Are you really feeling better though?"

"Yeah, I am. Nurse said I'd had a panic attack and went into cardiac arrest."

There was a pause before she replied back.

"Oh my god, Barry! You had a heart attack?!" I could literally hear the panic and worry in her voice.

"Yeah, but it wasn't too serious, somebody did CPR on me until the ambulance got to me."

"Really? Wow, that's really nice. U-Umm... You don't by any chance know who it was... do you?" She asked me carefully, almost like she knew something about the person that saved me.

"No, but that's what I want to figure out so I can thank them."

"Oh. Okay, well t-that's good! I think? I don't know, I mean it's not like I know who did it. Or like I even have an idea of who did it- and I am going to shut up now!"

"Felicity. You know who it is don't you?"

"Told me not to speak a word of it to you. Sorry Barry."

"That's fine, I use to help Joe in forensics when he worked at the CCPD. I'll find out who did it in no time." I semi-warned her.

"O-Oh... Umm... Well... I'll see you in Government, since I have that class with you. Bye, Barry!"

"Bye Felicity." I hung up after that.

So Felicity knew who saved me, huh? They also don't want me to figure it out, well I like to thank people who do any kind of heroic act. This to me was very important because they possibly saved me from death. I was going to put as much time and effort as I needed to find out who saved my life. It was actually going to be relatively simple, if they did CPR then they put their hands on my chest, so the jacket or shirt I wore yesterday may still have my savior's fingerprints on them. The hard part is figuring out who's fingerprints they belong to. I'm sure Iris could talk to Joe about it. So before I left for school I made sure to do just that. I was going to text Iris and ask her if she could manage to get Joe to run the prints. With my incident, and how important someone actually _saving_ my life rather than damaging it is to me, I'm sure Joe would help.

Anyway, I made it to school and made my way to Government. I walked in and Felicity saw me and quickly patted her hand down on the seat next to her for me to sit in. I went over and sat down in the seat she saved for me and I noticed Mrs. Queen was not here yet. "Where's Mrs. Queen?" She scoffed. "You mean _Moira?_ Wouldn't surprise me if she was giving Mr. Steele a morning blowjob or something. Nobody likes her, which is awful of me to say about one of my best friend's parents, but it's true. She's so rude and controlling, so your best bet in this class with her is to just stay out of her hair." I nodded my head in response. Wait—Mrs. Queen's kid is Felicity's best friend? And Felicity hates Mrs. Queen? "What do you mean by rude and controlling?" She sighed and shook her head slightly. "Well, my best friend—who's her son, Oliver, wanted to ask me out a couple years back. _Moira_ told him I would've dragged him down and stressed him out or depress him. So he never did ask me out and eventually our feelings for each other just... died out. It was almost like a small candle, burned so brightly and someone wanted to extinguish the light only for their own gain, and as quickly as it was lit, it was put out. We're still good friends, but... things aren't the same y'know?" I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. How could a mother be such a bitch like that? Not to mention her son didn't seem to be much better if he listened to her, even when it was something as insane as that. "Wow, Felicity, I'm sorry about that... but I mean, if he was foolish enough to listen to her, he must not be much better, right?" She frowned. Damn. Wrong key? "No—Oliver is—He's sweet, kind, caring... His mother just has this... hold on him. She is essentially controlling his life and it sucks. He was shipwrecked on a cruise a while ago, lost his father. He was found stranded on a nearby island a month later and poor guy was completely different afterwards. His mom seems to not influence him as much anymore, but she still has a small grasp. He needs to realize he's his own person and he controls his life." Just as I was about to respond I heard the clacking of heels and turned to see Mrs. Queen herself walk in the room. 10 minutes late to class... I thought I was bad with time.

She looked... royal, extravagant, _wealthy._ She seemed to always have this... cocky grin on her face, almost like she _knew_ she was better than everyone else and that we were all just mere peasants when in her presence. She handed out everyone's tests she graded over the weekend and was commenting on them as she handed them out, and my god, she was being a bitch. "I always knew you were setting up for failure." "Not the brightest bulb in the batch." "If I didn't know any better I would've thought a second grader took this test." "With a brain like yours, I'd probably be a Neanderthal." God, hearing her bully her _own_ students was really irritating. When she handed Felicity her test the comment she made nearly made me want to jump out of my desk and strangle her right then and there. "Keep it up Ms. Smoak, and you'll be working the corners of Starling!" How could one woman be so... so... _vile?_ I was so happy to get out of the class when the bell rang and I waited for Felicity together her belongings and we left the... beast's lair.

"God, Felicity... She's awful!" She nodded her head rapidly in response. "Yeah... I've tried talking to Oliver about how... twisted and ruthless his mother is, but he never believes it." I put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, then I'll talk to him. If you can't get it through his head, then maybe I'll shove it through his thick skull." She looked up at me and sighed. "Look, Barry, Oliver isn't someone you should... associate yourself with, okay?" I was confused, didn't she hang out with her friends at lunch and she invited me yesterday... "I thought you hung out with your friends at lunch?" She laughed. "Yeah, I do, but Oliver hangs out with _his_ friends at lunch. My friends are Cisco Ramon and Caitlyn Snow. I don't share classes with them this year so we can only hang out then. Oliver hangs out with Tommy Merlyn, Laurel and Sara Lance, Roy Harper, and his sister Thea. Oliver is my best friend, don't get me wrong, but at the moment he's kinda been... distant." I gave her a determined stare. "Great. Gives me more of a reason to talk some sense into him." She shook her head. "Barry, no. Pull the wrong strings and you could have another incident like yesterday." I didn't understand why she said _could_ rather than _would._ I sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine, you win. OH! You'll never guess what I did." She shot me a questioning glance. "What?" I smiled widely. "I got the prints of the person who saved me yesterday and I'm having my best friend in Central get me their identity." Her jaw dropped and proceeds to bombard me with questions such as 'How did you get their prints?' 'What are you going to do when you find out who it is?' 'Barry, you sure this is a good idea?' My answer was simple.

"I would buy them lunch and thank them for saving me."

 **Woot woot, next chapter will actually have Oliver in it. (: So Moira... I wanted her to be snide and snooty, I hope she came off that way. (So awful to say) She's going to be important in the future of the story, specifically when Barry and Oliver begin to get close to each other. ;) Felicity is the worrisome friend who doesn't let a lot get to her. She's so caring and kind that Barry has already found it's his responsibility to keep her safe and happy. She's going to basically be his friend that is very sisterly towards him. Also, Felicity is trying to make Oliver seem worse than what he really is, because of how badly she was hurt when she got close to him, and she doesn't want that to happen to Barry, so she's trying to prevent them from meeting. Hope you guys are enjoying the story so far! Please leave reviews so I know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong! lol**


	4. Greetings

**Author Notes: So we get to see Oliver for the first time in this chapter. Barry finds out it was Oliver who saved his life and after hearing what Felicity said, he's a little wary on meeting him. They don't hit it off right away, but slowly they become friends and then eventually more. However, it's not going to be smooth, judging from Moira's actions prior to this chapter, she'll be a big problem, right? Oh! We also meet Thea this chapter too!**

Oliver PoV

A couple days ago I never thought I'd literally be pressing my mouth to another guy's, but the kid was having a goddamn panic attack, and from what I could tell he was also going into cardiac arrest. Nobody was doing anything about it, not even calling 911, just observing. So I took it upon myself to help the poor kid, he looked so young, it just wouldn't be fair to the guy if nobody did anything. All he did was accidentally bump into Snart, and that guy is known to be the school douchebag, hell the kid even _apologized_ for it—and Snart couldn't have cared less. Felicity knew the kid too, and she said he was a really nice guy. Great, another great person I've made contact with and one who'd better stay the hell away from me if they want to stay sane.

Besides, my mother has a reputation to uphold. She wouldn't allow me to date Felicity because she said Felicity being an outcast at the school would be bad for our name. I used to love my mother, but I hate her now because she used (and still tries) to control my life. She doesn't do this with Thea... so why me? Why am I so special to her? Felicity's friendship with me has started to slowly spiral downwards, my mother asked me to distance myself from her, so I did. Eventually Felicity walked up to me and yelled at me for being a weak asshole, she told me if I ever wanted anything good in life for myself, I'd have to break out of my mother's hold and stand up. That got to me and made me realize that I was simply my mother's puppet, only useful for her own gain. Thea has tried to hammer that into my brain plenty of times, my mother's schemes never seem to work with Thea, so that's probably why she never gives Thea any attention and all attention falls on me.

I went against my mother's plans once and dated Laurel last year, so guess what my mother did? She went to Laurel and told her I'd been cheating on her with her own sister. She went as far as to stalk me and take a picture of me comforting Sara after Sara's boyfriend cheated on her! I was hugging her and telling her it'd be alright and the guy was a douche anyway, Laurel believed my mother and we broke up. I confronted my mom and we got in a huge fight and she ended it by saying _'Oliver, the next person you try to get intimate with, and I don't approve of it, you'll wish you'd never met them in the first place. Because I'll not only make them_ _ **suffer**_ _, I'll make you suffer. I only do this because_ _ **I know what's best for you.**_ _'_ She not only threatened me, but she threatened whoever I may end up having feelings for. Plus, if she knew what was best for me, then maybe she'd leave me the fuck alone. I turn 19 pretty soon, and when I do, I'm going to get my own place and take Thea with me. If that doesn't stop my damn mother then I'll put a fucking restraining order on her, I don't care at the moment.

Felicity walked up to me at lunch today and she had panic and fear plastered on her pretty face. "Hey, Felicity, what's up?" "Barry managed to get your fingerprints off his jacket! He's got his foster sister and father back in Central City running your prints. He's going to know it was you who saved him, and he wants to thank you and take you out to lunch—Err not like the date kind of lunch, but the—ahh whatever you get it!" I stared at her with a blank expression and then laughed. "Felicity, it's fine, if the kid managed to do that just to figure out that I saved him, then perhaps I should actually be a kind human being and take him up on his offer." She looked at me dumbfounded. "Are you saying you'd be willing to make a new friend Oliver?" I shrugged. "I am still not sure on that front. My mom has somehow wormed her way into all my friends' lives and ruined them in some sort of way, this kid doesn't really deserve that according to you, right?" She sighed. "Oliver, you need to stand up to your mother. What she's doing to you—It's not healthy. Mentally and physically. You need to tell her you're her own person and that just because her life was a complete and total failure doesn't mean she can play around with her son's life. It's cruel." I nodded in reply. "I know Felicity... It's just, I don't have the money to leave yet. I need to save up enough for Thea and I. I can't let her stay with our mother, I don't want to put her through what I've had to go through." "I'm sure Thea would appreciate that. You know how much she can't stand Moira." I nodded in reply. "I know. It'll only be one more month, then I'll have enough to get us both out of there. If that doesn't stop her, then a restraining order sure as hell will." We continued to chat after that, but eventually we both had to leave our 2nd hour and head to lunch.

I always spent lunch with Tommy, Laurel, Sara, Thea, and Roy... but... I decided not to do so today. Just wasn't in the mood to socialize with my friends. So instead I went to go to my Art Class. I took Art mostly because I was intrigued by it, I am not a very _skilled_ artist by any means—I'm decent at worst, but I enjoy it. Mr. Wilson must seem to think so as well, because he said I'm a pleasure to have in class, and he's one of my favorite teachers at the school. I walked into the room and saw that kid what was his name? Bart? Benny? Barney—No, it's Barry! That's what it is. He was talking to Wilson about projects it seems? I wonder what hour he has this class? Is he any good at art? What other classes does he take? Wait—Why do I suddenly want to know more about the kid? I told myself I wouldn't go out and make anymore friends, at least not while I am living at home with my mother. She's ruined plenty of lives and I don't want to add on to that overwhelming number. So I walked over to my usual table and set down, pulled out some of my projects and got to work. I was a little behind in the class anyway, I'd might as well get to working.

A few minutes after I started working on my project Barry came over to my table (Of course, cause why would he not) and sat down. He looked pretty nervous and then he spoke up. "Umm... you're Oliver... right?" I looked up at him, didn't quite hear him as I was in my own world. "Hmm?" He leaned forward a little bit. "Are you Oliver? Like... Oliver Queen?" I nodded my head. "Yeah, why do you ask?" It came off a little harsh and I winced slightly at that. "Umm... Thanks." I raised an eyebrow at that. "Thanks for what?" He gazed at me knowingly. "Oh come on, don't play dumb. I know you saved me the other day. I managed to get your prints off my jacket and tested them, plus Felicity running straight up to you after I told her I was going to run them kinda gave it away." I laughed at that. "Well, you got me." He smiled slightly then it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared. "Why'd you do it though?" I sighed, I had prepared for this, I knew he'd eventually find out sometime and would likely find me to thank me, I did save his life after all. "Snart's a douche, he only cares about himself, and seeing him treat you like that pissed me off, I mean, you did nothing wrong and you even apologized for it. Besides that it was the right thing to do. Everybody else just sat there like mindless buffoons, and that's just not fair, y'know?" He looked... surprised when I said that. Had he never had anybody do something like this for him before? I don't know why, but that thought irritated me greatly. "Wow... Umm... Thanks, thanks a lot. That's actually really nice, it means a lot, honestly." I smiled then held out my hand. "Well we've not formally introduced ourselves. Hi, I'm Oliver." He smiled back and shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, Oliver, I'm Barry."

 **Yaaaaaay Oliver/Barry begins now! Well not exactly. They're just starting to be friends. Snart is going to be making more and more appearances, he's going to torment Barry and bully him some more. Barry being Barry doesn't let anyone know and tries to deal with it internally, but eventually Oliver will find out. The rest is still in the works, but I'll let you all know what I've got planned one way or another ;) Hope the story is actually readable and decent! Reviews would definitely help me out so please leave some (:**


	5. The Optimism of Pessimism

**Last time Barry and Oliver met and this is going to be a pretty... sensitive chapter honestly. I don't like bullying at all, I've had my fair share, so this chapter and story in general isn't easy for me to write, but it also allows me to tell how I felt when I was getting bullied, kind of get it off my chest. I mean it's not quite fun receiving insults from every direction and getting made fun of because you're not wealthy, athletic, or popular. I'd go deeper, but I have a story to write! :p**

Barry PoV

Okay, so I discovered the guy who saved my life was actually Felicity's friend and Moira's son, Oliver Queen, Iris had texted me earlier telling me she ran the prints and they turned out to be his. I saw Felicity run up and talk to him when second hour started, or at least I assumed it was him. I only saw him from behind, so I couldn't quite get a good look at him then. However, I was surprised to find him walk into the Art Room during lunch. I was there talking to Mr. Wilson about the projects we were going to be working on over this year. The guy was really nice and laid back and answered any and all questions I had, and I had a lot. Eventually I was done with my little interrogation with the poor guy and turned around to see Oliver still in the Art Room working on a project. I wonder why he was in here for lunch? Felicity said he had a group of friends he'd hang out with, so where are they? So I decided to go over and thank him or keep him company. I sat down in front of him and he seemed unphased by that action so I broke the silence. "Umm... you're Oliver... right?" It took him a short time to look up and realize I had just spoke to him. He looked up at me and let out a simple "Hmm?" I leaned forward slightly and repeated myself "Are you Oliver? Like... Oliver Queen?" He simply nodded his head in reply. "Yeah, why do you ask?" It came off pretty rude, but seeing him flinch at the tone of his own voice made me think he didn't like it either. "Umm... Thanks." He raised an eyebrow at this, and it was very obvious he knew what I was thanking him for. "Thanks for what?" I shot him a look that basically said 'you know I know.' "Oh come on, don't play dumb. I know you saved me the other day. I managed to get your prints off my jacket and tested them, plus Felicity running straight up to you after I told her I was going to run them kinda gave it away." He laughed a little at my explanation. "Well, you got me." I gave him a slight smile, then wondered, why the hell did he choose to save me? He could've done nothing and yet, for some reason, he chose to save my life. "Why'd you do it though?" He sighed "Snart's a douche, he only cares about himself, and seeing him treat you like that pissed me off, I mean, you did nothing wrong and you even apologized for it. Besides that it was the right thing to do. Everybody else just sat there like mindless buffoons, and that's just not fair, y'know?" I was... surprised to say the least. Nobody at CCHS ever cared enough to help me out in any sort of way, and to have this stranger save my life was a huge change. It really meant a ton to me, I had no idea how I could ever manage to repay him. "Wow... Umm... Thanks, thanks a lot. That's actually really nice, it means a lot, honestly." He smiled at me then held out his hand. "Well we've not formally introduced ourselves. Hi, I'm Oliver." I smiled back at him and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you Oliver, I'm Barry."

"So, Barry, what hour do you take this class?"

"I've got it right after lunch, actually."

"Really? I do too, you can sit at this table with me if you'd like. I am the only one that sits here only because everybody else in the class thinks I'm a jerk."

"Yeah, I'd love to. Do they really think you're a jerk? From your actions I'd say you're the total opposite."

He shrugged. "It's my mother. I'm sure Felicity has already filled you in on that. Everyone at the school despises her, and since I'm her son they hate me too. Little do they know I hate my mother too, as awful as that may sound..."

"No, it's fine, I understand. I wasn't the biggest fan of my foster father after he adopted me. I always told him I hated him. I mean, I had a right, he'd just thrown my father in jail for wrongfully accusing him of murdering my mother." He gave me a surprised look. "Yeah, I know, sounds... horrible. But, the point is, my father didn't kill my mom, I distinctly remember there being some guy there... My father and I both saw a man clad in black clothing kill my mom, my dad told me to run as far away as possible, only because he was worried about my own safety. Next thing I know my dad is being thrown in prison, my mother is dead, and I was parentless. I'd dedicated my life to getting my dad out of prison... but... he died last year. In _prison._ He didn't deserve that." Oliver seemed to be absolutely speechless. "Wow, Barry... I'm sorry to hear that... I can understand losing a parent right in front of your own eyes. I was on a cruise with my father last year and we got caught in a terrible storm, ended up sinking the ship. The only survivors were my father, a shipmate, and I. My father woke me up while we were drifting around in the middle of the ocean on a raft told me that there wasn't enough supplies for all of us to survive, and that he wanted me to be the one to live on, right his wrongs... So he took the life of that guy and himself, right in front of me." Wow, I couldn't believe he'd gone through something similar to me. I just stared into his eyes for a while and he did the same. I noticed how blue his eyes were then. They were absolutely stunning, captivating, welcoming... I studied him even more and came to the conclusion that Oliver was a really attractive guy. I went to reply back to him and then the ringing of the bell broke both of us out of the trance we were in. "Umm... well... So could you tell me what exactly we're working on?" He grinned slightly and began explaining to me what the class was doing prior to me coming here. I was going to really enjoy this class to say the least.

School had just ended and I was leaving my PE class, I had just finished changing out of my gym clothes and I did this as fast as possible. I was super self-conscious after my incident in Central City. They didn't just stop at raping me that day, they even went as far as to _carve_ the date into my leg. What made this even worse, is that that day was the anniversary of my mom's murder... I had the date of two of the worst events in my life carved right onto my leg. It depresses me each time I see it and feel it. I'd gotten changed and went to leave the locker room when I was pulled right back into the locker room. Snart. "So you a fag or something?! I saw the way you were acting around that jackass Oliver Queen, oh and not to mention those little 'fuck me!' Looks you were giving him." I started squirming. I could not have this today. I was actually having a decent fucking day for once in my life. "Just... Leave me alone... please?" He laughed maniacally at my request. "No, no, no. I won't. Oh hey, by the way you queer, what's this?" He pulled my pants down and pointed at my scar. "S-Snart... P-Please just... stop." He laughed that sickening laugh again. "Oh, touchy subject? Good. Because anything bad that happened to you was most likely because you're a gay whore, right? I bet whoever you left behind in Central is glad you're gone." Tears were now welling in my eyes. I was _never_ going to get away from the bullying, the insults, the pain... It would always be in my life. "P-Please..." He threw me to the floor and kicked my face. Hard. Then he kicked me in the chest a few times before letting out a chuckle that felt like he was literally spewing pure evil and venom. "There _will_ be more of this. Later, cocksucker." I sat there for a while even after he left. My chest hurt terribly. He likely cracked one of my ribs, after all, he was wearing fucking steel-toed cleats. I had a gash on my cheek and it was bruised around it pretty badly. Eventually I got up, gathered my stuff and walked home. I had to hide this from Felicity—and Oliver. I couldn't let anybody know about this, I remember telling Iris and Eddie about the first time I was bullied at Central City High. My bullies just did it worse the next day because I was a 'little snitch'.

I'd felt so much pain already, that this wouldn't phase me for a little while...

 **Ugh, it was sosososoooo difficult to write this. Even though it was just a tiny scene, it's always tough. I never received anything as bad as this (Thank god) but it did push me to the point where I couldn't walk into a public school without feeling endangered. So eventually I switched to online school, and I have to say it was the best decision ever. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter. Barry is already developing feelings for Oliver, mostly because of how kind and relating Oliver was. (And attractive obv.) Soon he'll realize his feelings completely and complications will arrive!**


	6. Teenage Dream

**Just a warning, this chapter has a semi-smut scene(?) if that's what you want to call it. Nothing much happens so it shouldn't be too problematic :p Sorry that this chapter is somewhat late. I've been exhausted all day today, but I was super dedicated to get this one done! Enjoy~**

Barry PoV

It's been a couple of weeks since the incident with Snart. Him and his buddies attacked me each day, progressively getting worse. I wasn't feeling up to going to school this week so I wasn't going to go. I laid in bed most of the time. Only getting up to go to the bathroom or get food and water. Over the past weeks, Snart and his pal were ruthless when I would encounter them. Let's just say by the end of it all I had a black eye, swollen lip, bruises everywhere, broken index finger, cracked ribs, and I was sure I had a sprained ankle, it hurt a bunch just to step on it. On a good note, Oliver actually gave me his number and was being super nice to me, it made me feel a lot better just seeing him, I don't know exactly why though. I believe it's just because I feel safe around him due to him saving my life. He'd been texting me all day today, but I just didn't feel up to answering any of them. I was super depressed at the moment and I didn't want to shove my problems his way. We just barely became friends, so it wouldn't be fair to him if I ran to him with all my problems. I absolutely could not talk to Felicity or Iris about this though, they're overly caring and protective of me, and they'd run straight to someone of authority and try to deal with it that way. That would not be good.

I'd called the school and told them to send me my work for the rest of the week since I was very sick and wouldn't make it to school at all. So I'd get up and do my schoolwork for the day and then head straight to bed. It was really odd though, I'd usually find myself thinking about Oliver for God knows what reason. I shook the thoughts away when I realized I was thinking about him, but they kept flooding back. It got so overwhelming that I'd gotten up to take a shower just to take my mind off... everything. I had just finished cleaning myself and stepped out of the shower when I heard the doorbell go off. I froze then got dressed, I'd just... pretend I wasn't home. I mean, I could be back in Central City visiting Iris, Eddie, and Joe. After I got dressed I went to go back to my room when the door opened and Oliver walked in with worry written all over his face.

He looked up and saw me, err... likely saw my black eye, and he ran upstairs. "What the hell Barry? Are you okay? I've been trying to get ahold of you for hours now!" I looked down in shame. "I-I'm fine, Oliver, really..." He lifted my head up and looked at me. "Barry—this? It's not okay. You're hurt." He motioned towards my black eye. "What happened, Barry?" I sighed in defeat. I'd tell him what happened—but not who did it, I don't need more mental and physical damage dealt to me, and that's surely what Snart would do if he found out I'd told someone he did it. "I'll tell you—IF you promise not to tell anyone about it." He gave me a very worried look. "Just tell me, Barry, you're my friend." For some reason him saying friend made my heart drop, and felt some emotional pain. I have no idea why that is, but... I just shrugged it off.

"The day we met, I was cornered by someone and... they beat me and called me names." At this point I could already see him fuming. "They continued to do it again and again, the beatings and insults getting progressively worse." God, if I thought he was fuming then, you should see him now. "Last Friday they strangled me, cracked my ribs, broke my index finger, sprained my ankle, gave me a black eye, and well... bruises and cuts everywhere." Dear God, it looked as if he was ready to murder whoever did this to me. "Barry, we need to get you some help, and fast." I shook my head quickly in reply. "No, no, no. I'm fine, I don't need anymore hospital bills mailed to my family back in Central. It's not fair to them. I just need a week off of school so I can heal up a bit." He nodded in reply. "Okay, that's fine, but I _will_ check up on you daily. You got that?" I smiled softly. "Yeah, got it." He smiled back at me then it faded away. "Who did this to you, exactly?" I sighed. "I-I can't tell you, they'll probably just... do it again. And worse." His face was set in pure anger. "Barry, I wouldn't let them hurt you again." I shook my head. "That's what Iris and Eddie said to me at Central City High and... and..." Shit. I almost just told him about... my incident... If I told him that he'd likely leave in disgust. "Barry... were you bullied back in Central as well?" I was shaking just thinking about it. "Y-Yeah..." What happened next shocked me, he pulled me into a tight hug. "Oh God, Barry, I'm so sorry..." I could feel heat rushing to my cheeks and I hugged him back.

It was then I realized that I felt safe, happy, and warm around Oliver because I had feelings for him. I wasn't exactly so sure what they were yet, but I knew then that I had feelings for him. I laid my head on his chest and leaned into his embrace. I really needed this, the feeling of someone there with me when I was at my worst. I inhaled deeply before pulling away. "T-Thanks... Oliver. That means a lot." He smiled at me then spoke up. "Do you want to talk about it?" I sighed, I wasn't exactly ready to disclose what happened back in Central City. "No, not yet... I'm not ready to." He nodded his head. "Alright, that's okay. Just, whenever you're ready to tell me, or anyone, don't be afraid to, okay?" "Okay, I will." I smiled. "Alright, well I've got to get back to school. Lunch is almost over. If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, just let me or Felicity know, okay?" I simply nodded in reply. "Alright, thanks Oliver." He smiled and headed for the door. "Bye, Barry." He left. I went back up to my room and laid down on my bed. Before I even knew it, I was asleep.

Then Oliver came rushing into my room and hopped on top of me. He crashed his lips to my own and was feeling up and down my body as he was doing so. I elicited a sharp moan from all the friction and touching. Something I should be afraid of, but with him it felt right, it didn't feel harmful or painful. He tore both our shirts off and he was grinding against me. It felt so... great. "God, Barry, I love you." He moaned out towards me. I shut him up with another kiss. A very rough, passionate kiss. I broke away and replied back to him "I love you too, Oliver." He smirked and started to slowly pull his jeans down, revealing a nice bulge hidden behind his boxers. I went to go pull them down to reveal what he was hiding underneath them, then I woke up...

For fuck's sake, I had just been dreaming about a very... intimate... situation between Oliver and I? What hit me harder than that is in the dream I told Oliver that _I loved him._ That really freaked me out and had me thinking. _Did I love Oliver?_ Well... For starters, he did save me. Nobody else had done something like that at my old school, but that couldn't be a legitimate reason. He was really kind, caring, compassionate, protective, and well... I can't deny that he is really, really attractive. The way he seemed so... worried about me today really made me feel... different towards him than usual. Especially when he hugged me, I blushed madly when he pulled me into his embrace and I wanted to stay like that forever. The way I felt in the dream definitely seals the deal. I am in love with Oliver Queen... Oh and the mess in my pants kinda needs to be dealt with.

 **Barry just realized his feelings! How long will it take Oliver to realize he has feelings for everyone's favorite nerd? Or more specifically, WHAT will it take to make him realize his feelings? :o**  
 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, I'll admit, it isn't my best, but it works!**


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